What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead
News
Walter Russell Mead, a historian, pundit, and popular author, is encyclopedic about politics, culture, and history. On What Really Matters, Mead and Tablet deputy editor Jeremy Stern help you understand the news, decide what news matters and what doesn’t, and enjoy following the story of America and the world more than you do now. Check out Walter Russell Mead’s Tablet column at https://www.tabletmag.com/columns/via-meadia.
Location:
United States
Description:
Walter Russell Mead, a historian, pundit, and popular author, is encyclopedic about politics, culture, and history. On What Really Matters, Mead and Tablet deputy editor Jeremy Stern help you understand the news, decide what news matters and what doesn’t, and enjoy following the story of America and the world more than you do now. Check out Walter Russell Mead’s Tablet column at https://www.tabletmag.com/columns/via-meadia.
Language:
English
Episodes
Bondi Beach and the Nihilism of Palestinian Strategy
12/19/2025
This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss new U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, Trump's attempts to regain control of economic messaging, the EU's new aid package for Ukraine, and the consequences of allowing the intifada into Australia.
Duration:00:34:24
Trump's New National Security Strategy
12/12/2025
This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the administration's seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker, the hidden and rising costs of healthcare premiums, China's energy future, and the implications for China, Russia, Europe, and the GOP of Trump's new National Security Strategy.
Duration:00:28:52
The Higher Ed Doom Spiral
12/4/2025
This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Pete Hegseth's drug boat imbroglio, the Minnesota fraud scandal, the difficulty of managing the MAGA coalition, and the factors contributing to the decline in college enrollment, outcomes, and relevance.
Duration:00:34:25
Trump’s Ukraine Ultimatum That Wasn’t
11/26/2025
This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss how AI is splitting the MAGA coalition, Xi’s phone call with Trump, why young conservative women are having more children than their liberal peers, and what exactly is happening with the Trump administration’s Ukraine peace plan.
Duration:00:36:58
Orthodox Christianity in America
11/22/2025
This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the China-Japan spat, Mohammed bin Salman's visit to the White House, China's lead in scientific paper and patent production, and the apparent rise of Orthodox Christianity among young conservative American men.
Duration:00:29:08
Trump in Africa
11/15/2025
This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the Democrats' recent election victories, the end of the government shutdown, Venezuela preparing for a hypothetical US invasion, and why Trump has started to talk about humanitarian intervention in Africa.
Duration:00:32:15
The Groyperization of the Right
11/3/2025
This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the impact of Trump's tariffs, his summit with Xi Jinping, Bill Gates' about-face on climate change, and whether the future of the American right belongs to Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes.
Duration:00:42:21
Drug Wars, Sanctions, Nuclear Power, and Japan
10/24/2025
This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Trump's expanding military operations against Venezuelan drug traffickers, new US sanctions on Russia, China's nuclear power build-out, and Japan's new heavy metal-drumming, Thatcher-admiring, female prime minister.
Duration:00:30:52
The Return of the Hostages, an AfPak War, and India
10/14/2025
This week, Walter and Jeremy return to discuss the Gaza hostage release and ceasefire deal, a possible war between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and Walter's travels in India and Sri Lanka.
Duration:00:30:30
The Week When Decades Happened
9/19/2025
This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the Trump administration's apparent speech crackdown, the Saudi-Pakistani mutual defense pact, the rise of cocaine cartels in Mexico, the recent events that shook the Western order, and why rightwing influencers are obsessed by Israel and Jew hatred.
Duration:00:38:07
The Murder of Charlie Kirk
9/11/2025
This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Russian drones entering Polish airspace, Israel's failed strike on Hamas leadership in Qatar, Trump's decision to rename the Defense Department the War Department, and the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
Duration:00:34:02
Mr. Modi Goes to China
9/2/2025
This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss US naval warships in Latin America, the latest poll of American opinion on Gaza, Trump's attempt to fire the governor of the Federal Reserve, and Xi Jinping's summit with Narendra Modi and Vladimir Putin.
Duration:00:33:25
The Trump-Putin Summit
8/19/2025
This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss why Americans are moving less, Trump's deployment of National Guard troops to Washington, declining alcohol consumption in the US, and the Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska.
Duration:00:29:54
How Trump Is Like Napoleon
8/11/2025
This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss plummeting public school enrollment, Netanyahu's five-point war plan for Gaza, Nvidia's weird China deal with the White House, and the political, diplomatic, and strategic similarities between Napoleon Bonaparte and Donald Trump.
Duration:00:34:44
The Art of Trump's Trade Deals
7/31/2025
This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss transatlantic pressure on Israel, Arab pressure on Hamas, Xi Jinping's new infrastructure play in Tibet, Trump's criticism of India's relationship with Russia, the significance of Trump's trade deals with Japan and the EU, and tips for haggling in bazaars, souks, and night markets.
Duration:00:42:06
The Role of Public Intellectuals
7/24/2025
This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the White House's new "AI action plan," protests against Zelensky in Ukraine, hot conflict between Thailand and Cambodia, and the role of public intellectuals throughout history.
Duration:00:35:07
Right Nation
7/18/2025
Walter's on the road this week, so in place of regular programming, we’re bringing you something special: an extended excerpt from Walter’s most recent book, The Arc of a Covenant: The United States, Israel, and the Fate of the Jewish People.
Duration:01:38:33
Gaza, Ukraine, Energy, and the Big Beautiful Bill
7/10/2025
This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the Trump-Bibi meetings, the consequences of the president's legislative achievement, where he stands on arming Ukraine, the Western Hemisphere's bright fossil fuel future, and Gore Vidal vs. William F. Buckley.
Duration:00:38:26
What Does Trump’s Bombing of Iran Mean for the Middle East?
6/27/2025
This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss why China, Russia, and North Korea haven't come to Iran's aid, what Zohran Mamdani's primary victory in New York could mean for national politics, how Trump understands Europe and NATO better than Obama and Biden did, and what the long-term significance might be of America's bombing of Fordow.
Duration:00:28:09
Trump and the Israel-Iran War
6/19/2025
This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Israel’s control of Iranian skies, the prospects for a negotiated settlement, and the domestic politics shaping Donald Trump’s pending decision to involve US forces in military operations.
Duration:00:34:26